Modular tent structures

ABSTRACT

A modular tent structure system using detachable side panels is disclosed that allows users to configure the shape and size of the tent for a wide variety of applications. Moreover, through the use of flexible and specifically configured rib elements, along with selectively placed restraining elements to position and hold sections of the configured rib elements in proximity to each other, allows for easy folding, collapsing, storage, transportation, and then equally easy unfolding, assembly, and usage of the tent, is also disclosed. The detachable side panels allow users to readily connect, assemble, and configure three-sided structures up to any number of plurality of connectable side panels. The tent structure system further includes a flexible bottom or floor panel, and a top or ceiling panel that is sized to accommodate a wide variety of tent structure configurations.

BACKGROUND

Tents and tent-type structures are widely used in a very broad spectrum of applications. Indeed, tents are used for a multitude of activities including applications such as camping, beach time, sun protection, wind and rain protection, play tents, and even shower or changing enclosures. Depending upon the design and covering, such structures and coverings provide protection from wind, rain, and, especially in the beach environment, protection from the sun and ultraviolet light. One important feature for most all tent structures used in an outdoor temporary setting is that the structure must be readily portable so that it can be transported to where it will be used, and readily storable when not in use.

That is, the tent structure should be easy to disassemble or fold up, and easy to transport when disassembled or in a folded configuration. Moreover, for many uses and applications, users may wish to be able to customize the size, configuration, and shape of the tent depending upon the activity at hand. For example, sometimes the need may be for a smaller single person or child's tent; and at other times, there may be a need for a larger, multi-person configuration and structure. While some designs provide for some flexibility with respect to the structure and size of the tent, such size and configuration flexibility is very limited.

Other important features desired for portable tent structures include, that once assembled and set up, the tent structure should relatively sturdy against outside conditions such as rain, wind, and/or sun. The balancing of the features of being sturdy, on the one hand, and being easy to transport and to assemble, on the other hand, is where some design focus has been applied relating to various tent systems. With newer materials, including composites and pliable plastics for tent rib structures, and lightweight, durable textiles for the tent coverings, there have been different tent designs seeking to find the best balance of sturdiness and durability with the need to also be easy to transport, assemble, and disassemble.

Many different types of tent-type structures and assembly systems have been created and commercialized to address these problems and issues. While there have been many such designs, and indeed, new designs continue to evolve, none appear to provide an optimal or even widely accepted solution for a tent design that is readily reconfigurable with respect to configuration and size of the tent, and still retains features of being lightweight, easily transported, readily storable, easily assembled, and easily disassembled.

One example of such a prior art system includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,238 for a Tent With A Repositionable Floor, by Sumner. The Sumner, '238 patent, discloses a tent having a repositionable floor, with the floor preferably including a pair of subpanels that mate together and form a water-resistant seam, and further where the subpanels can be repositioned within the interior of the tent or exteriorly of the tent. The Sumner patent however does not disclose or teach any modular aspect of any side panels of the tent to allow full customization of the tent size and shape.

Accordingly, it would be useful to have a modular tent structure that allows for complete customization of the tent structure by the user in a rapid and easy assembly procedure. Such customization should include the ability to readily alter the number of panels, modular, or walls of the tent structure, while still being easy to disassemble or fold the tent. Moreover, the panels should be lightweight, and in the disassembled or folded configuration, be easy to store and transport. Such a tent structure having detachable side panels does not appear to have been designed, developed, or commercialized that satisfactorily meets each of these criteria. While certain of these problems may be addressed by one or more examples of the prior art, a complete solution to all of these problems does not appear to have been specifically designed or used in the relevant prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and fulfills the needs described above by providing a modular tent structure that includes a plurality of side panels that may be detached from each other, or added to the structure to provide for a wide variation of tent configurations and shapes for varied uses.

One preferred embodiment of the invention is a modular tent structure comprising a plurality of side panels comprising at least one rib formed into an approximate circle, and a flexible cover attached to said at least one rib to cover the inside of said approximate circle; a plurality of connecting elements attached to each of said side panel ribs, where said plurality of connecting elements comprise at least one of strings, snaps, clasps, buttons, hook and loop elements, magnets, and buckles; wherein said tent structure is assembled by interconnecting at least three of said plurality of side panels to each other using said plurality of connecting elements.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention is a modular tent structure comprising a plurality of side panels comprising at least one flexible rib formed into an approximate circle, and a flexible covering attached to said at least one flexible rib to cover the inside of said approximate circle; a plurality of connecting elements attached to each of said side panel flexible ribs, where said plurality of connecting elements comprise at least one of strings, snaps, clasps, buttons, hook and loop elements, magnets, and buckles; wherein for disassembly, each of said plurality of flexible ribs is configurable to form at least one approximate circle shape; a plurality of restrainer elements, each one of said plurality of restrainer elements being attached to at least one of said flexible ribs; at least one rachet element through which at least one of said plurality of restrainer elements operates; wherein for disassembly, approximate opposite sides of each of said plurality of flexible ribs are pulled towards each other by pulling at least one of said plurality of restrainer elements to pull said approximate sides of each of said plurality of flexible ribs towards each other to form a collapsed configuration; wherein for disassembly, each of said plurality of flexible ribs in said collapsed configuration is foldable into at least two substantially circular sections to form a plurality of discs; and at least one securing element to secure said at least two substantially circular sections proximate to each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of an embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having six side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 2A is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the rib element of a single detachable side panel shown detached from a tent assembly.

FIG. 2B is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a single detachable side panel shown detached from a tent assembly.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a single detachable side panel shown with an openable door, and shown detached from a tent assembly.

FIG. 4 is a perspective front view of an embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having three side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of another embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having three side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 6 is a perspective front view of another embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having four side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 7 is a further perspective front view of another embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having four side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 8 is a perspective front view of another embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having five side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 9 is a further perspective front view of another embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having five side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 10 is a perspective front-side view of an embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure having six side panels, and shown in a fully assembled configuration.

FIG. 11A is an exemplary embodiment of a type of connecting element used to attach two side panels together, shown in this configuration of attaching two panels together using a plurality of tie elements.

FIG. 11B is an exemplary embodiment of a type of connecting element used to attach two side panels together, shown in this configuration of attaching two panels together using a connector manufactured from metal or plastic.

FIG. 12A is an exemplary embodiment of a type of connecting element used to attach two side panels together, with such element being a buckle device in this configuration.

FIG. 12B is an exemplary embodiment of a type of connecting element used to attach two side panels together, with such element being hook and loop textile material.

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure showing a folding method for one of the side panels.

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the inventive modular tent structure showing a folding method for one of the side panels using a plurality of connection points.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

A modular, customizable tent structure and system is disclosed. At its core, the modular tent structure 10 is comprised of at least three interconnectable, and detachable, modular side panels 100 that include a plurality of connecting elements 150 that allow for ready connecting and disconnecting of each modular side panel 100 to another modular side panel 100. Accordingly, interconnecting three modular side panels 100 to each other will form a triangular shaped three-sided tent structure, as shown in FIG. 4. Similarly interconnecting four modular side panels 100 to each other will form a four-sided tent structure, as shown in FIG. 6, and so on.

As shown in FIGS. 1, and 4 through 10, with the addition and interconnection of multiple side panels 100, a tent structure of increasing size and shape is readily achievable. The variations shown, three-sided (FIGS. 4 and 5), four-sided (FIGS. 6 and 7), five-sided (FIGS. 8 and 9), and six-sided (FIGS. 1 and 10) are only exemplary embodiments of the wide variety of tent structures 10 that may be configured by adding further side panels 100 to expand the size and configuration of the tent. For example, ten or more side panels 10 may be interconnected to form a small room.

Each side panel, in an exemplary embodiment, may be configured using at least one structurally resilient rib 30. The rib 30, as shown in FIG. 2A, may be formed as a contiguous loop shape. While the rib 30 shown in FIG. 2A is formed into more of a rounded trapezoid, alternative shapes may also be used to create the tent structure 10.

A flexible covering or cover 90 fills in the center area of the rib 30 to form the panel 100 as shown in FIG. 2B. The cover 90 may be attached to the rib 30 by sewing and edge of the cover around the rib. With such an attachment process, the shape of the cover 90 may be used to form the rib 30 into a particular desired shape for the tent structure 10 side panel.

To provide further options and usability to a tent structure 10, the side panels 100 may be configured with window or door openings. With such window and door openings, the user is provided a very wide variety of design options for configuring and building his or her desired modular tent. In one embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a door 110 may be formed in the side panel 100 such that to open the door, the door panel 110 may simply be rolled up to provide full access to the inside of the tent. The door panel 110 may be sealed in a closed configuration by a connection element, such as a zipper or hook and loop textile materials.

Examples of door configurations incorporated into tent structures 10 are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 (for the three-sided tent), FIGS. 6 and 7 (for the four-sided tent), and in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 for larger tent configurations.

An example of a window configuration incorporated into a side panel 100 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, showing a window panel 120 formed in the side panel 100 such that to open the window, the window panel 120, similar to a door panel 110, can be readily folded up and out of the way for the side panel 100. With the flexible covering 90 manufactured with one or more screen “windows” 120, wind and air flow is allowed pass into the tent, but still provide a high level of protection from sand or other wind-blown objects. Such a window also allows users to see out of the tent structure. The tent structure 10 may also be configured with flexible shades that can be positioned over the windows to provide some privacy and to further block wind.

In a similar fashion, one or more cutouts may be incorporated into the flexible cover 90, for example near the top of the cover 90 to allow for release of air pressure when wind blows into the tent structure 10 thereby helping to maintain the tent structure from inadvertently ballooning like a parachute, and moving when the wind blows and catches within the tent opening.

The flexible cover 90 may be manufactured from most any type of lightweight, flexible textile, such as nylon ripstop or similar types of polyester fabrics. Alternative and additional materials that may be used to manufacture the cover 90 include polyester, canvas, polyethylene, flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as well as other flexible textiles, synthetic plastic polymers, and poly-type materials.

To allow for easy assembly and disassembly of each side panel 100 with other side panels 100, a plurality of connecting elements 150 are incorporated onto each side panel 100. The connecting elements 150 are preferably connected to the ribs 30 to provide additional resiliency from inadvertent separation, but in an alternative embodiment, the connecting elements 150 may be attached to the cover 90.

By way of example, the connecting elements may any type of easily handled attaching mechanism, including hook and loop textiles, buckles, snaps, tie strings, buttons and button holes, or any other similar type of mechanism. FIGS. 11A and 11B show two respective examples of elements to attach or connect two side panels 100 to each other, with FIG. 11A showing a plurality of tie elements used to attach the ribs 30 to each other by two tie elements, and with FIG. 11B showing an embodiment of a metal or plastic connector used to attach the side panels to each other. In more detail FIGS. 12A and 12B show variants of such connecting elements, with FIG. 12A showing a type of plastic (or metal) buckle that is often used for outdoor gear, and FIG. 12B showing a type of hook and loop textile that is similarly used in camping and tent systems. Most any connecting element that is easy to handle, easy to undo, and is resilient is effective for use with the modular tent structure system. The connecting elements 150 may be manufactured from a thermoplastic material or metal. The thermoplastic connecting elements 150 may be manufactured using a blow-mold or other form of molding process.

In order to balance strength, durability, and weight, the ribs 30 may be manufactured from any type of resilient thermoplastic or composite material. With the ribs 30 being manufactured from a resilient thermoplastic, each side panel 100, and in turn, the entire tent structure 10 may be easily collapsed or folded into a compact size for transport and storage. More particularly, in addition to being fully flexible in terms of configuring and customizing the size and shape of any tent structure, the design of the modular tent, and in particular the side panels 100 further provides ease of disassembly, folding, transport and storage. For such an embodiment, a core aspect of the disassembly and folding of the tent structure 10 is the use of flexible, but structurally resilient plurality of ribs 30.

In further embodiments, the modular tent structure may also include a separate floor panel and/or roof or top panel. Such a floor and roof panel may be configured similar to the side panels 100 using a rib and cover structure, or the floor and roof panel may, for more flexibility be simply a cover-type material without a rib element. Having a simple cover-type material for the floor or roof allows the user to install and use the floor or roof with multiple different tent structure configurations. More particularly, the same floor or roof section may be used for a three-side, four-sided, five-sided, and so on, tent structure.

The floor and roof panel may be easily connected to the bottom and top, respectively, of the tent structure 10 using similar connecting elements as described above to connect each side panel to each other. More particularly, the floor or roof panels may be attached to the tent structure 10 through use of one or more connecting elements 150 including hook and loop textiles, buckles, snaps, tie strings, buttons and button holes, or any other similar type of mechanism.

The folding or collapsing of each side panel 100 is easy and intuitive. The user can detach or disconnect each side panel from the other side panels, and then simply lay each of the side panels 100 on the ground, as shown in FIG. 2A, and then pull the opposite sides of the side panel 100 together to form a figure-eight shape or hour-glass shape. From this hour-glass configuration, the user can then fold one half of the figure eight on top of the other half of the figure-eight with a slight twisting motion, as shown in FIG. 13. Essentially the area of the side panel is cut in half through this folding procedure, which makes the side panels much more transportable and storable.

To assist with the folding procedure, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the sides of the side panel 100 may be pulled together using one or more restraining straps 33 such that the formed ribs come together to form the noted hour-glass shape. A “rachet-type” operation of the restraining element 33 allows the user to more easily pull the restraining element 33 through a rachet clip or buckle 34, and because the strap is being pulled through such a one-directional rachet clip or mechanism 34, the restraining element 33 and ribs 30 stay in place. The “rachet-type” one-directional mechanism 34 may be a rachet clip or buckle element 34 or other similar type of retaining mechanisms to maintain a restraining element 33 in place until it is intentionally released. A pair of first securing elements 35 may be used to secure or hold the rib 30 sides proximate to each other once pulled together through use of the restraining element 33 and rachet buckle 34. The first securing elements 35 may be clips, buttons, snaps, or other similar type of securing mechanism.

In alternative configurations, especially for a larger size side panels 100, and larger size tent structures 10, the rib 30 sides may be pulled together in more than one location to form a plurality of “circles” or discs that may be folded on top of each other, as shown in FIG. 14. For example, a tent structure 10 may be folded into three or more discs using two or more pair of restraining elements 33 and ratchet clips 34 to hold the sides of the ribs 30 together. As noted, in alternative embodiments, the restraining elements 33 may be hook and loop textile elements, fashioned from Velcro®, a plastic type buckle, or other type restraining elements.

Once each of the side panels are folded or collapsed, a strap or other securing element, such as clips, hook and loop (Velcro®) pieces, buckle, button, clasp, snap, or other similar type of securing mechanisms, may be used to keep each of the side panels 100 in the folded shape, and placed adjacent to each of the other folded side panels for easy and compact transport.

When fully collapsed, the tent structure 10 is fairly compact, and may be placed within a storage bag or sack (not shown) to be used to hold the folded side panels 100. In another embodiment, the storage bag may be shaped to properly fit the folded tent structure.

The tent structure 10 may also be configured with bag sections (not shown) for use to weigh down or provide ballast to the structure. At the beach, sand can be easily placed in the bag sections, whereas for use with camping or non-beach activities, stones or a plurality of smaller rocks can be placed in the bag sections to provide additional weight or ballast. When it is time to collapse and transport the tent structure 10, the sand, stones, or small rocks may be readily removed from the bag sections, and disassembly or folding is easily achieved. For additional positional support and stability, the ends of the leg sections of the tent structure can be anchored to the ground with removable stakes (not shown).

The drawings and disclosed embodiments are but a limited set of examples of how the inventive modular tent structure 10 may be configured and used. In addition to the beach and noted outdoor activity examples, in various embodiments and configurations with a varied number of side panels 100, the module tent structure 10 may be used in the garden, at sporting events, a party shelter, a reading spot, a leisure/quiet place, and/or set up and used by various commercial entities such as temporary covered spots by restaurants, spas, or resorts.

While preferred embodiments of the inventive modular tent structure 10 have been described and disclosed, in particular by reference to certain figures and exemplary embodiments relating to a particular shape and size for the detachable side panel or module, such an embodiment and design for the tent structure 10, and more particularly for the side panel 100, is not to be construed as limiting the scope of application of the inventive devices or systems. For example, as described and claimed, the modular tent structure 10 may be configured using different sizes and shapes for the detachable side panel. Such variations to the detachable side panel may include smaller dimensions, or larger dimensions, or side panels having doors or windows incorporated into the cover material. All such alternate embodiments are believed to be within the scope of the inventive design and below claims.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that other modifications, substitutions, and/or other applications are possible and all such modifications, substitutions and applications are within the true scope and spirit of the present invention. It is likewise understood that the above disclosure and attached claims are intended to cover all such modifications, substitutions, and/or applications. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular tent structure comprising: a plurality of side panels comprising at least one rib formed into an approximate circle, and a flexible cover attached to said at least one rib to cover the inside of said approximate circle; a plurality of connecting elements attached to each of said side panel ribs, where said plurality of connecting elements comprise at least one of strings, snaps, clasps, buttons, hook and loop elements, magnets, and buckles; wherein said tent structure is assembled by interconnecting at least three of said plurality of side panels to each other using said plurality of connecting elements.
 2. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, further comprising a top panel attachable to a top section of each of said plurality of side panels to form a roof for said modular tent structure.
 3. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, further comprising a bottom panel attachable to a bottom section of each of said plurality of side panels to form a floor for said modular tent structure.
 4. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, wherein said flexible cover is formed from a nylon ripstop material.
 5. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, wherein said flexible cover is formed from a canvas material.
 6. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, wherein said flexible cover is formed from a synthetic plastic polymer including at least one of a polyethylene material and a polyvinyl chloride material.
 7. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, further comprising at least one openable door within at least one of said plurality of side panels said flexible covers.
 8. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, further comprising at least one openable window within at least one of said plurality of side panels said flexible covers.
 9. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, wherein at least one of said flexible covers further comprises at least one slit to allow for a release of internal air pressure.
 10. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, further comprising a flexible shaped bag into which said folded collapsible tent structure may be placed once fully folded.
 11. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 1, wherein at least one of said flexible covers further comprises a plurality of stakes to anchor said collapsible tent structure to the ground.
 12. A modular tent structure comprising: a plurality of side panels comprising at least one flexible rib formed into an approximate circle, and a flexible covering attached to said at least one flexible rib to cover the inside of said approximate circle; a plurality of connecting elements attached to each of said side panel flexible ribs, where said plurality of connecting elements comprise at least one of strings, snaps, clasps, buttons, hook and loop elements, magnets, and buckles; wherein for disassembly, each of said plurality of flexible ribs is configurable to form at least one approximate circle shape; a plurality of restrainer elements, each one of said plurality of restrainer elements being attached to at least one of said flexible ribs; at least one rachet element through which at least one of said plurality of restrainer elements operates; wherein for disassembly, approximate opposite sides of each of said plurality of flexible ribs are pulled towards each other by pulling at least one of said plurality of restrainer elements to pull said approximate sides of each of said plurality of flexible ribs towards each other to form a collapsed configuration; wherein for disassembly, each of said plurality of flexible ribs in said collapsed configuration is foldable into at least two substantially circular sections to form a plurality of discs; and at least one securing element to secure said at least two substantially circular sections proximate to each other.
 13. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, wherein said flexible cover is formed from a nylon ripstop material.
 14. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, wherein said flexible cover is formed from a canvas material.
 15. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, wherein said flexible cover is formed from a synthetic plastic polymer including at least one of a polyethylene material and a polyvinyl chloride material.
 16. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, further comprising at least one openable door within at least one of said plurality of side panels said flexible covers.
 17. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, further comprising at least one openable window within at least one of said plurality of side panels said flexible covers.
 18. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, wherein at least one of said flexible covers further comprises at least one slit to allow for a release of internal air pressure.
 19. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, further comprising a flexible shaped bag into which said folded collapsible tent structure may be placed once fully folded.
 20. The modular tent structure, as provided in claim 12, wherein at least one of said flexible covers further comprises a plurality of stakes to anchor said collapsible tent structure to the ground. 